Srinagar, March 20: A two-day Artisans’ Awareness Workshop was kick-started on Monday at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Srinagar at the Ompora campus, Budgam.
The 2-day awareness workshop is a part of the Craft Cluster Initiative sponsored by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India (GoI).
The aim of the workshop is to create awareness among the artisans pertaining to the latest design developments, market trends, and construction brandings besides the use of social media platforms for the development of their business.
During the two-day awareness workshop, a detailed discussion and deliberations will be held wherein the experts and students of design from NIFT Srinagar will share information about different aspects meant for the development of handicrafts.
Director Handicrafts and Handlooms (H&H) Jammu, Dr Vikas Gupta, Managing Director H&H Corporation Atul Sharma and Regional Director Handicrafts Development Corporation GoI A K Pradhan were present at the inaugural session of the two-day awareness programme.
Scores of artisans registered with H&H department besides the students of the design department of NIFT also participated in the programme.
The Director NIFT Srinagar, Dr Javid Ahmad Wani in his welcome address briefed about the motive of holding the two-day awareness workshop and spoke about the contributions of artisans and weavers in the H&H sector.
“They (artisans) have played a great role in the promotion of Arts and crafts in the Handloom and Handicrafts sector and carried the legacy of the rich heritage to the next generations,” Dr. Javid Ahmad Wani said.
“But with the change in time and circumstances, there is a need to make changes in design and techniques of the same craft to meet the market demands. For this, NIFT Srinagar will provide all the support of the faculty of design to these artisans. There will be sharing of ideas and knowledge between students of the design department and the artisans,” he said.
He said that there was a need to introduce new design techniques to make the products sustainable as per the market demands.
Director Handicrafts and Handlooms (H&H) Jammu, Dr Vikas Gupta in his address said the students studying fashion and design at NIFT Srinagar were lucky for having practical exposure available at the local level.
“Besides studying the theoretical part of the design, you also have rich practical exposure available here and I hope you will be at the forefront to introduce new designs and techniques in the products and promote them by using different marketing tools available on social media,” he said.
He further spoke about different loan schemes and internal subsidies available with the department for the registered artisan community. He urged them to take advantage of all the schemes for the promotion of the arts and crafts culture of Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier, Regional Director Handicrafts Development Corporation GoI A K Pradhan in his address spoke about different schemes available with GoI for the artisans registered with H&H sector.
“NIFT is not only about fashion and design but it is a good source of GDP in the country. I hope the artisans will take advantage of this workshop and make their products relevant as per the market demand,” he said.
Managing Director H&H Corporation Atul Sharma in his address hailed the NIFT Srinagar management for holding the two-day awareness workshop and spoke about how the H&H products with new designs can be promoted through different showrooms run by the department.
“We have 35 showrooms available across India where we hold exhibitions to promote Jammu and Kashmir’s craft culture. Besides the artisans, students will also learn different designs from their faculty members so that all these products are showcased on bigger platforms,” he said.
